God’s power brings restoration
- Nov 17, 2008
COLD SPRINGS, Calif. – Is the power of God Almighty able to help women in situations of domestic violence and oppression?
“Yes,” was the resounding answer at the 9th annual Hispanic Women’s Retreat at Jenness Park Christian Camp in September. Jenness Park, near Sonora in California’s Gold Country, is owned and operated by California Southern Baptist Convention.
Through the help of God, His Word, support groups and trained counselors, women are able to experience victory from emotionally and physically devastating circumstances, according to Magda deCastro. She is director and cofounder of the Esperanza Foundation, an organization for abused women and families in San Jose, Costa Rica. DeCastro was featured speaker for the retreat that drew more than 600 Spanish-speaking women during two September weekends.
Worship music was provided by “One Spirit,” a worship team from the University of the Americas in San Antonio, TX.
The Esperanza Foundation ministers to men, women, couples, adolescents and children in 42 centers in Costa Rica. DeCastro and her husband have created a program through which families and individuals in crisis can find “relational healing.” The Bible-based program for restoration and reconciliation has found such success in Costa Rica that the government and legal system have partnered with the couple in sentencing individuals involved in the penal system to participate in the program.
DeCastro challenged the audience through verses in Psalm 23, saying, “Women ask all the time how we live through such difficult events and still find happiness. I tell them that through the process of restoration we are able to let go of the pain and find our real identity in Christ.”
According to deCastro, the restoration process involves three essential steps. “First, women must be willing to break the silence of their situation. Second, they need to be in company of qualified, trained people who will help them recover their dignity and self-esteem. Third, people choose a new pattern for life where the pain no longer controls them, but rather their faith and hope in Christ.
“During this process we focus on the Word of God, support groups and the testimony of women’s own lives,” deCastro explained.
Fourteen women made first-time professions of faith in Christ during the retreat. Additionally, 61 women were involved in a series of seminars presented by deCastro and two facilitators, Rossi Castillo and Mauren Murillo from San Jose, Costa Rica, survivors of sexual abuse or domestic violence.
When asked about the difficulty of revealing her past experiences, Rossi reflected, “It is important, in the process of restoration, that people know our stories. The sharing of the restoration produces hope in others.”
Participants in the seminar series were interviewed upon pre-registration and selected because of the sensitivity and personal nature of the information involved. There was so much interest in the seminars that some women were turned away.
Other options included topics from Psalm 23 ranging from, “As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death” to “I shall not want” and “My cup runneth over.”
International Mission Board missionaries Melissa Childress from Bolivia and Catalina Coy from Chile challenged the women to be involved in international missions. Youth had a special bilingual track called, “The Beauty in Resting in the Lord.”
Ana Paz, from Calvary Baptist Church in Redwood City, attended a financial seminar and noted, “I learned that I need to balance my needs and my wants. When we get in too much debt, we go against God’s Word.”
Pastors’ wives had the option of attending a seminar called, “Heart Spa – He anoints my head with oil.”
Participants also had the opportunity during the retreat to get their hair cut with proceeds going to missions; as well as facials, manicures and a pajama party in which prizes were awarded for dressing in the most “biblical” sleepwear.
This article is reprinted from the November 2008 issue of the California Southern Baptist, the newspaper of California Southern Baptist Convention.
Further Learning
Learn more about: Faith, Ministry, Family, Abuse, Spousal Abuse